Victoria Mboko Stuns Again to Reach Montreal Semifinals
So, get this — 18-year-old Canadian tennis star Victoria Mboko has officially turned the tennis world upside down at the National Bank Open in Montreal. Just two days after dismantling world No. 2 and top seed Coco Gauff in a lightning-quick 62 minutes, Mboko backed it up with another impressive performance — and this time, she had to fight for it.
On Monday night, Mboko secured her spot in the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The first set wasn’t exactly smooth sailing — it was messy, both players were making errors, and there wasn’t much rhythm. But Mboko stayed steady, especially during a tense moment at 2-2 when she found herself down 15-40. With five service winners and some 180 km/h bombs, she clawed her way out and took that crucial game.
The second set started rough too. She was down 0-2 and had just been broken. But that’s where everything flipped. It was like a switch had been flipped. Mboko powered through to win six straight games and wrapped up the match in just 77 minutes. Match point? A long backhand from Bouzas Maneiro. Mboko’s reaction? Arms dropped, smile of disbelief, kisses to the crowd — pure magic.
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After the match, she told fans how grateful she was, especially playing in Montreal, where she trained as a junior. The crowd gave her a standing ovation, and honestly, it felt like a coronation.
And here’s why this is such a big deal: Mboko’s the first Canadian to reach the semifinals in Montreal at this level in the Open Era, and the youngest since Belinda Bencic in 2015. Add to that — she started this year ranked outside the top 300. Now? She’s up to No. 85, and after this run, she’s expected to jump into the top 50.
She’ll face Elena Rybakina next — a tough one. Rybakina had to advance after her opponent retired due to injury, but she’s no stranger to knocking Mboko out, having done so just last month in D.C. So this is a revenge match.
But here’s the thing: Mboko has been on fire this year. She began the season with a 22-match win streak, picked up five ITF titles, made her Grand Slam main draw debut, reached the third round at the French Open, and pulled off a Wimbledon upset too. And now in Montreal, she’s beaten four solid opponents — including Gauff — dropping just one set the entire tournament.
As she put it: “You play a tournament because you want to win it.” And if she keeps this up, she just might.
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